Rail-joint



B. IVI. BATES.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY27.1919.

' 1,328, 1 1 3 Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

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flor/nag D MAl 27| 1919. 1,328, 1 13. Patented Jan; 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- BEN 1V1'..V BATES, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

l RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '13, 1920.

Appucation flied May 27, 191e. serial' No. 300,054.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, BEN M.. Barns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specifica'- tion.

r1`his invention has reference to supporting and connecting means for railway rails.

The-primary object of the invention is to produce a metallic support for railway rails and meanscoperating with the support and engaging the rails to connect the meeting ends of two rails as well as for bracing a rail at determined intervalsy throughout the length thereof, said means being readily applied to the support and being of such a: construction as to co-engage withrb'oth the support and rails to hold the latter against movement in any direction except for the limited longitudinal movement necessary for the expansion and contraction of the rails.

Other objects and advantages will present themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which there is illustrated a simple and satisfactory embodiment of the improvement reduced to prac tice.

In the drawings: p

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing a rail connected and supported in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

'Fig'. 3 is aperspective view of one of the clamping blocks.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view approximately on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rail support or t1e.

In the drawings I have illustrated my improvement as a support and brace for a single rail, but it will be appar'ent as the description progresses that the same may be employed with efficiency for connecting the meeting ends of two rails.

The supporting members or ties are constructed of metal, being in the nature of I- beams. The bottom flange or foot 6 of each of the supports 7 is of a greater width than the top flange or head 8 thereof. The connecting web, indicated by the numeral 9 is disposed centrally of the head and foot. l y Y The widened foot; 6 offers a comparatively large bearing surface to the roadv b'ejd, and when the said bed is tamped over the foot and against the ends of the tie' movement thereof, in any direction-will be effectively prevented. l

The head 8 -of each of the supporting members or tiesl 7, adjacent to the ends thereof is provided with transverse notches 10 entering from the outerl edges thereof and terminating `flush with the sides of the web 9. Two oi' the notches 10 are'provded at each side of the head, the opp'ositely disposed notches having their longitudinal walls alining, and the portion ofthe head between the pairs ofnotches provide a rail seat 11. Each of the seats is of a width or length equaling the width of the base 12 of.

the rail 13. If desireda sheet' of compressible material may be arranged on each of the rail seats 11 and secured thereto in any desired or preferred manner and these sheets provideyieldable cushions for the rail.

The securing and sustaining means for the rails is in the nature of clamping blocks 14. The clamping blocks are arranged in co-acting pairs, all of the blocks being of a similar construction and therefore the reference characters applied to one may be understood as equally applicable to the remaining.

Each of the blocks 14 includes a body portion 15 having its inner portion shaped to be snugly received in the fishing space of the rail, the upper corner 16 of the saidinner portion being rounded and the under face, 17 thereof being beveled to vsnugly engage with the upper beveled face of the base flange 12 of the rail. The lower corner of the engaging end of the block is also rounded as at 18 to engage with the rounded wall at the juncture of the baseflange and web of the rail. The block, upon its under face is formed with a transversely and downwardly extending substantially Vrectangular lug that provides a neck 19 for a longitudinally arranged foot plate 20. This plate is disposed horizontally straight and is parallel to the straight under face of the. body of the block which extends outwardly from the neck, the said portion of the block being indicated by the numeral 21.

The neck 19 is of a size to be snugly received in the notch 10 of the supporting member or tie 7. The neck, however, is of a length slightly greater than the thickness away from the inner faces of the said blocksv a distance equaling yone-half of the thickness of the web 9 of the tie 7, and in this manner the inner faces of the neck and foot plates of the co-acting pairs of blocks have a contacting engagement with the opposite sides of the web 9, and the inner straight faces of the said co-acting pairs of blocks .havev a contacting engagement with each other.A "The 'coacting pairs of blocks are provided with transverse openings 22 which aline when the blocks are assembled, and

through these alining openings pass the shanks of bolts 23, the said bolts being engaged -by'nutsv 24.

With my improvement it will, it is thought, be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple, strong and efficient means for supporting rails and, for clamping the same on the supports. The blocks may be easily applied and readily removed froml en- A gagement with the rails and supports. 4 Preferably one pair of co-acting blocks is secured to the tie and thereafter the rail is positioned on its seat 11. The second coacting pairs of blocks are than inserted in the notches of the tie and connected. The

blocks positively insure the rail against rocking movement, prevent the movement of 1 head flange thereof, said lastl mentionedv flange havlngspaced knotches entering from the edges thereof and terminating at the sides of the connecting web for the head and base flanges, the portion of the tie between the notches providing a seat on which a rail rests, blocks arranged in co-acting pairs having inner nose ortionswhich contact with the opposite si es of the rails, said blocks having their outer faces provided with depending necks which enter the notches, foot plates formed on the ends of the necks and extending` longitudinally in opposite directions therefrom and underlying the head flange of the tie, said necks and foot portions terminating inward of the inner faces of the 'blocks to permit of the same contacting with the webs of the ties and the inner faces of the co-acting blocks contacting, and removable securing means for the co-acting pairs of blocks.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

BEN M. BATES.' 

